Chapter Eleven: “Aunt Tillie's Trunk in the Attic”

This may seem like an odd statement. And, on its own, it is. However, it was initially aimed at the folks who are preparing to take the real estate examinations. Most states require training and testing prior to issuing a real estate license to applicants. The state wants to insure that the people who are licensed are competent. The transfer of ownership of real estate is a complex process. Practitioners need to know a vast amount of information about the process.

One of the primary goals in my real estate classes is to teach the participants how to take a multiple-choice test. It is safe to say that most of them were anxious about taking tests the last time they were tested. Whatever their fears were in the past these fears tend to be exaggerated over time.

To help them overcome their fears they are given a method to put the odds in their favor. With a standard multiple-choice test the odds are one in four. With the technique they learn in class the odds are changed to 50-50. Not bad odds. There are six simple steps to follow. For those of you who might have some interest in the technique, here it is.

1. Cover the answers. By covering the answers you do not contaminate your thinking by selecting an answer prior to knowing what is being asked.

2. Read the question – carefully. The greatest problem most people have when reading anything is not taking the time to read the information carefully. This step relies on the test takers understanding of the material being tested.

3. Understand the problem. This is particularly important in testing or when entering into a contract. It is essential that the content be fully understood prior to considering an answer.

4. Determine the answer. Once the problem is read and understood it is much easier to formulate the correct answer to the question.

5. Uncover and find the answer. With the correct answer in mind the multiple choice question has effectively been turned into a true-false question. Each of the possible answers is matched to the correct answer. When the examinee finds the answer that matches the correct one, that answer is marked and the examinee can move on to the next question.

6. Do not linger too long on any one question. There will be questions that the examinee might not understand immediately. Some people are stubborn enough to stay with the question until they figure it out. This approach is time consuming and unnecessary. Subsequent questions will provide clues to the “difficult” question. Here is were we apply the “Aunt Tillie’s trunk in the attic” phrase.

Have you ever written a report, letter, essay or other such document? Do you recall that in the middle of the writing you were suddenly reminded of something as unrelated to the report as “Aunt Tillie’s trunk in the attic”? It happens to all of us. It is the unique way that the human brain works. We can compare the operation of the human brain to the operation of a computer’s memory. Both store bits/bytes of information in random places in the memory. These bits/bytes of information are tied together with an electronic “string”. With the computer, we tap the enter/return key and the entire file appears on the screen as neat and tidy as when we saved it. On the other hand the electronic “string” that the brain uses is not as smooth as the one in the computer. So when we tap the mental enter/return key for the brain out pops “Aunt Tillie’s trunk in the attic.” It was stored in a spot next to some of the data that comprises our report.

Realizing that this is a natural phenomenon allows us to use it to our advantage. When we come across those few questions on the test that are not immediately clear to us, we just move onto the next question and rely on the power of “Aunt Tillie’s trunk in the attic.” One of the subsequent questions will undoubtedly provide us the necessary insights to the questions that were not previously clear.

Understanding the power of the “Aunt Tillie’s trunk in the attic” will aid us in our studies. Underlying our success in testing is the requirement to study the material carefully. There is no substitute for knowledge.

Jack’s Nugget: Understand and use the power of your brain.

Take me back to the Directions page: